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I dipped my chin lower to conceal my face and glimpsed another look at Carter on the stage as the girl dancing with him peeked a look at me.
“Start the music.” The dance teacher turned to the corner of the stage, lifted his palm in the air and clicked his fingers. A couple of seconds later, the sound ofTchaikovsky’s Swan Lakeflowed through the speakers, filling the auditorium with the mellow tune and I watched Carter dance as we used to dance but now with his new partner. And for some freakish reason, tears sprang to my eyes.
Stop it, Lacey.
I blinked hard. Knowing I couldn’t stay any longer, I picked up my mobile and keys from the seat next to me and was about to rise from my chair. But the squeak of the door behind me kept me seated. I peeped a glance over my shoulder. Three guys strutted in, all wearing jeans, two wore sweaters and one draped in a knee-length mid-grey coloured coat.
One had floppy, fair hair with dark-rimmed glasses. The second was blond, with broad shoulders and a wide chest. The third was taller, leaner, with dark hair that was cropped very close to his head. I caught his eye and quickly twisted my head back to the stage.
I emitted a faint sound of air, remained seated and smiled to myself—perhaps being at the university wouldn’t be too bad after all, especially if this was typical of the local men.
I glimpsed at Carter and smiled because he wouldn’t defeat me and certainly not break me. But today I wasn’t feeling it and opened my mobile app and brought forward my taxi ride, then glanced to the stage and continued watching my shit ex-boyfriend glide around the stage with his new partner. She rose en pointe and was about to pirouette as he coasted his hands up her body and I knew it was to help her, but it didn’t stop the edges of my lips from going down as I glared at them.
The music stopped, and I was ready to get the hell out of there before Carter noticed me.
“Lacey Summer,” the dance teacher called, looking around, and his gaze landed on where I sat.
“Shit,” I muttered.
I sighed and swallowed at the thickness that formed so quickly in my throat. I didn’t expect him to know I was there. Clay had enrolled me online and after I’d seen Carter arrive when I waited outside, I sat the lesson out.
Carter’s head twisted to me, his grey eyes meeting mine.
The dance teacher curled his finger as he beckoned me. “Come up here, Lacey, and let’s see what you can do.”
I uttered some curse words under my breath but took my pale pink pointe shoes from my bag and slowly laced the ribbons around my ankles. Standing tall in plain black leotard and leggings, I gave Carter a smirk and removed my hoodie and strode to where the dancers were.
Carter smiled at me and held out his hand.
I refused it, of course, because I wanted nothing from him ever again. I pushed my hands on the wooden dance floor and levered my body onto the raised stage. Carter’s grin turned into a weak smile. I twirled to the teacher, not acknowledging Carter again.
“Welcome, Lacey. I understand Julliard accepted you, but you turned your place down.”
I sighed. “I didn’t turn it down. My uncle did.” I grimaced at the memory.
“Sorry Lacey, you’re not yet eighteen years old and living in New York by yourself will not happen on my watch.”
“I’ll be living in student accommodation and dancing all day, not wandering around New York City,” I argued back.
“It’s not safe for you.”
“Nowhere is safe..”
“Lacey… don’t push me. I’ve already lost my… brother and my sister-in-law. I promised I’d look out for you. My duty is to protect you.”
“My parents were letting me go.”
“And they had no right to.”
And regardless of how much we argued back and forth, that one I’d be living in the dance school accommodation and two, I could look after myself.
He wouldn’t relent.
And I never found out what he meant by his words.“And they had no right to.”
I hadn’t registered the words at first because after my parent’s deaths it had taken me a long time to get out of my depressed state and I didn’t believe I’d ever feel better again. But over the last six months, those words spiralled around in my brain. Over and over, wondering and deciphering what he meant, and I still didn’t know.
But I would work it out.
